STUDY ON PORNOGRAPHY

CALVARY BIBLE COLLEGE: SHILLONG, MEGHALAYA
7 th SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS WEEK: PAPER PRESENTATION
Topic: “A Study on Pornography: A Global Virus”
Resource Person: Pastor K. Lal\hazuala
Date: July 21, 2017
1. Introduction
In today’s IT era where every hand has the reach to Internet with just a single click, we all are
very much vulnerable to “Pornography”. Porn today is more freely and widely available on
Internet than ever before. Younger generation is therefore able to access it very easily and
quickly than ever. This leads to the mentality of unemotional sex. And all this is because we
have grown up in a culture where parents feel embarrassed and not comfortable to have a
healthy conversation about sex with their children. But, the situation compels us to come out of
our comfort zone to talk about the most confidential topic i.e. “Pornography”. Due to time
bound for presentation, this paper will not be able to cover all the issues and suggestions related
to pornography. However, we will at least try to cover most of the major concerns related to the
study of pornography.
2. Etymology and Definitions
The word “pornography” (noun) comes from the Greek term pornographos (adjective), which is
a compound word made of porni (“prostitute”) and graphein (“to write”) which literally means
“whore-writing” or “writing about prostitute.” 1 This means “documenting a prostitute” or
“depictions of acts of prostitute.” 2 It refers to writings or movies on all kinds of sexual activities
outside the bonds of marriage. 3 According to Concise Oxford Dictionary pornography means
“printed or visual material intended to stimulate sexual excitement.” 4
I think we don’t have to give many of our time in defining pornography because we all know
what is pornography when we see it! We should also know that this English word
“pornography” is not found in the Bible; but, the word “fornication” comes from the Greek word
porneia from which we get the English word “pornography.” Porneia includes sexual
immorality of all kinds and the Bible translate this word as “sexual immorality.” Porneuo is the
verb meaning “to commit fornication (adultery).” 5
3. Origin and Development
3.1. Early Century
According to the research on the history of pornography, the first documented pornographic
pictures were printed in oriental manuals of sex, Kama Sutra was the most popular among them.
The Hindus feared that the paper works would not survive and decorated the temples of
1
Shivraj K. Mahendra, A Christian Response to Pornography, 2nd revised ed. (Madarsa Road, Kahmere Gate,
Delhi: ISPCK, 2012 [2007]), 6.
2
Ravi Kant, “Pornography and the Indian Law” March 11, 2015, The Cyber Blog India,
http://www.cyberblogindia.in/pornography-and-the-indian-law/ (accessed July 19, 2017).
3
Ibid.
4
Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Tenth Edition), software developed by Tony Smith (Great Clarendon Street,
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2000) [CD-ROM, Version 1.0].
5
Mahendra, Pornography, 34.
1

Khajuraho (India) with numerous figurines of people having sex. 6 The first clear historical
evidences of pornography in Western culture has been found in the sensational songs performed
in ancient Greece at festivals honouring the god Dionysius. Indisputable evidence of graphic
pornography in Roman culture is also found at Pompeii dating from the 1 st century AD. 7
3.2. Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages pornography was widespread in Europe, but it was held in low repute,
expressed mostly in riddles, common jokes, doggerel, and satirical verses. The invention of
printing press results in the rebirth of ambitious pornographic written works. These writings
were written to entertain as well as to arouse. 8
3.3. Modern Ages
However, the first modern pornographic works that were both devoid of literary value and
designed solely to arouse sexual excitement appeared in Europe in the 18 th century. At about this
time erotic graphic art began to be widely produced in Paris, eventually coming to be known as
French postcards. Pornography, both in books and pictures, flourished in the Victorian era
because of the prevailing taboos on sexual topics. In 1834 an investigation in London
established the presence of 57 pornographic shops on Holywell Street (Oxford) alone. 9
The development of photography and later on motion pictures contributed greatly to the
proliferation of pornographic materials. Throughout the ages pornography has evolved and
developed, nut it was not until the technological and ideological progress of the 20 th century that
pornography was able to find its way in literally every aspect of modern society. And today at
the dawn of the 21 st century one can see with the breakthrough of internet how the delivery of
pornography has become revolutionized. 10
4. Two Common Forms of Pornography
In the study of pornography, there are two common forms of pornography viz. soft core and
hard core.
4.1. Soft Core: This form of pornography features naked or scantily clothed men and women. It
highlights breasts and genitalia but shows no sexual intercourse. It does not emphasize violence
or sexual perversion. 11 Much of the advertisement today could easily be kept in this category. 12
4.2. Hard Core: This form of pornography includes various forms of sexual penetration, forced
or unforced, between two or more people. 13 All kinds of perverted sexual activities are promoted
in hard core. There is no restriction or limitation. 14
6
“History of pornography: scandalous beginning and habitual reality,” http://english.pravda.ru/society/sex/11-07-
2007/94805-pornography-0/ (accessed June 1, 2012), as quoted by Mahendra, Pornography, 9.
7
Mahendra, Pornography, 10.
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid., 10-11.
10
Ibid., 11-12.
11
Alice Swann, “The Role of Pornographic Industry in the Destruction of Intimacy” in Lyndon Bowring, ed.,
Searching for Intimacy (Bletchley, UK: Authentic Media, 2005), 5. As quoted by Mahendra, Pornography, 12.
12
Mahendra, Pornography, 12.
13
Jeff Olson, When A Man’s Eye Wanders (Grand Rapids: RBC Ministries, 1999), 4. As found in Mahendra,
Pornography, 12.
14
Mahendra, Pornography, 12.
2

5. Pornographic Tsunami: The Global Phenomena
In this section, we will try to highlight the gigantic structure of porn industry, its enormous
production and consumption.
5.1. Revenue: The size of the pornography industry Worldwide is reported to be $97.06 billion.
According to compiled numbers from respected news and research organizations, every second
$3,075.64 is being spent on pornography. In porn industry revenue, China spent $27.40 billion.
This is enough to feed 62% of the world's hungry for an entire year. It’s big business. The
pornography industry has larger revenues than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple
and Netflix combined. 15
5.2. Internet: Every second 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography. In that same second
372 internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines. Every 39 minutes a new
pornographic video is being created in the U.S. 16 A research on commercial pornography sites
reveals that 74% display free teaser porn images on the homepage, often porn banner ads. 66%
did not include a warning of adult content. 11% included such a warning but did not have
sexually explicit content on the homepage. 25% prevented users from exiting the site
(mousetrapping). Only 3% required adult verification. 17
5.3. Children and Teenagers: The average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11
years old. 90% of 8 to 16 years have viewed pornography online; 80% of 15 to 17 years have
multiple hard-core exposures. Symantec Corporation released information about what children
searched online back in 2009; according to this, the top five searches for all children were: You-
Tube, Google, Facebook, Sex, and Porn. 18
5.4. Adults: Largest consumer (26%) of Internet pornography is between 35 to 49 years age. 40
million adults in the United States regularly visit Internet pornography websites. And 9.4 million
women access adult websites each month. Visitors to pornography websites is 72% men and,
28% women. Admit to accessing pornography at work is 20% men and 13% women. 19
79% of men in the Millennial generation say they watch pornography at least once a month (and
most of this watch porn several times a week); 64% of women say they watch porn at least once
a month. Google search of word “porn”: July, 2005 – 11.6 million hits; September 2016 – 1.94
billion hits (167-fold increase). 20
6. Factors for Online Sexual Activity
The late psychologist, Dr. Al Cooper (Cybersex: The Dark Side of the Force) believed three
main factors draw people into online sexual activity: 21
6.1. Anonymity: Home computers and smartphones have made it very easy to be secretive.
15
“Internet Pornography Statistics,” http://www.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics/ (accessed July
18, 2017).
16
Ibid.
17
JoAnn Hibbert Hamilton, “Internet Pornography Statistics,”
https://www.kidsemail.org/PBIncludes/articles/internet-pornography-stats.php (accessed July 18, 2017).
18
“Facts About Pornography,” http://concernedwomen.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/CWA_FactsAboutPornography.pdf
(accessed July 18, 2017).
19
Ibid.
20
Price, “Pornography’s Assault on Purity,” (accessed July 18, 2017).
21
As found in Joe R. Price, “Pornography’s Assault on Purity,” http://www.bibleanswer.com/porn-assault.htm
(accessed July 18, 2017).
3

6.2. Accessibility: Pornography is accessible from any Internet connection.
6.3. Affordability: Millions of free or very cheap images are available online.
Research also reveals that the accessibility, affordability and relative anonymity of the Internet
hastens the addiction process, leading many to very quickly become ensnared by this destructive
content, including increasing numbers of children. 22
7. Arguments Against Pornography
There are four main types of argument against pornography, which are summarized as under: 23
7.1. The deprave-and-corrupt argument: The contention of this argument is that the production
and the consumption of pornography deprave and corrupt those who participate in them. To be
depraved and corrupted means to be devalued in some sense. It might also be held that a person
who has been depraved and corrupted is more likely to commit sexual or other offences.
7.2. The harm-to-others argument: The contention of this argument is that consumption (and
perhaps also production) of pornography makes those who engage in it more likely to commit
sexual offences.
7.3. The harm-to-children argument: The contention of this argument is that children are
harmed if they consume pornography or are used (as participants) in its production.
7.4. The degrades-women argument: The contention of this argument is that pornography
degrades women by portraying them as subservient to, or inferior to, men.
8. The Defense of Pornography
In defense of pornography there can be various arguments especially for those persons involved
directly or indirectly in the industry; however, to make things uncomplicated, we will only
highlight six major arguments in defense of pornography as put forth by John H. Court. 24
8.1. Evidence Argument: According to this argument, pornography has no effect upon a
person’s character and that is not harmful.
8.2. Therapeutic Argument: This argument believes that pornography can help overcome
various sexual problems including frigidity and impotence.
8.3. Social Benefit Argument: This argument holds that legalizing pornography can reduce sex
crimes and porn market.
8.4. Moral-inversion Argument: This argument attempts to present alternative to traditional
morality by replacing love with hatred, by deforming what is beautiful and praising ugliness.
8.5. Ideological and Liberation Arguments: These two arguments believe that pornography can
serve as a vehicle to overthrow the old repressive culture, the coldness of the anti-sexual
philosophy of traditional morality.
22
Daniel Weiss, “Harms of Pornography,” April 1, 2013, http://www.brushfiresfoundation.org/harms/ (accessed
July 18, 2017).
23
The arguments cited here are taken from the writings of Danny Frederick, “Defending Pornography,”
http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/polin/polin124.pdf (accessed July 18, 2017).
24
John H. Court, Pornography: A Christian Critique (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1980), 16-29. As seen in
Mahendra, Pornography, 16.
4

8.6. Civil Liberties Argument: This argument defends pornography as part of the issue of the
freedom of speech.
7. India and Pornography
7.1. Past and Present
Ancient India was surprisingly open on issues related to sex and sexuality. Many ancient
temples were depicting erotic as well as pornographic images. Distinguished literatures and
religious volumes such as Kama Sutra, Ramayana, Upanishads and Puranas are worth
mentioning at this point. The Kama Sutra (Aphorisms on Sexual Love) of Vatsyaayana which
was written in the early part of the Christian era (c. AD 4 th Century) is a book containing
detailed instructions on sexual activities and methods. According to Dr. Chatterjee, pornography
is replete in the Ramayana, especially in the older unedited version. 25 Upanishads and Puranas
too provide details on sexuality and sexual activities. There are a lot of stories of sexual
activities of gods and goddesses in these literatures. 26
Thus, one can find a great history of erotica and pornography in India where both temple arts
and religious literatures are characterized, to a great extent, with pornographic elements in their
contents, nature of appearance and descriptions. 27
Reflecting on the present scenario, we find Indian movie makers have been increasingly looking
for ways to bring more nudity and more sexual shock-values into their films, even taking time to
recruit actors and actresses with these particular skills. They are researching American adult
movie methods and techniques to assist in the production of Bollywood’s own versions. 28
7.2. Celebrity and Media Opinions
Salman Rushdie, in a recent pornography book, XXX: 30 Porn Star, has argued that porn is vital
to freedom and that free and civilized societies should be judged by their willingness to accept
such materials. Many celebrities have enthusiastically endorsed this view. For example, to
theatre personality, Alyque Padamsee, porn is okay because India is the land of the erotic
(however he is against child pornography). Actor Aly Khan thinks that pornography is literature
and it should be available to people in a free society, although it should be censored so that
children don’t have access to it. To socialite Pooja Bedi, it is healthy to be exposed to sex and
pornography at the right age and we must be open about sexuality and be able to see porn if we
want. 29
Cyber law expert Pavan Duggal’s answer is “Yes!” to the question Is it time to legalize Porn in
India? According to model Upen Patel, as long as we do not intrude on anyone’s privacy,
watching porn should have nothing to do with the law. Theatre personality Rahul DaCunha
thinks that legalizing porn will make society much cleaner and much more normal. He says “it’s
available anywhere, so legalize it.” 30
25
Chatterjee, “Pornography in Ramayana,” http://www.dalitstan.org/books/awake/awake4.html (accessed October
29, 2005). Scholars say that the popular versions of Ramayan are carefully edited and do not contain onscene
details. As found in Mahendra, Pornography, 23.
26
Detailed illustrations can be found in, Harimohan Jha, Khattar Kaka (New Delhi: Rajkamal Prakashan, 2001),
216-236. As found in footnote no. 25 of Mahendra, Pornography, 23.
27
Mahendra, Pornography, 23.
28
Ibid., 24.
29
Ibid., 26-28.
30
Ibid., 28.
5

7.2. Law and the Punishment
Coming to the legality of pornography, our law doesn’t prohibit us from watching pornography
privately i.e., consumption of pornography is no offence. All that the law forbids is its
publication, transmission, distribution or production. Let’s have a look at the law of the country
related to pornography. 31
7.2.1. Section 67 of Information Technology Act 2000
Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form
Imprisonment for three years
Fine of five lakh rupees
For subsequent conviction imprisonment for five years and also with ten lakh
rupees fine.
7.2.2. Section 293 of Indian Penal Code 1860
Sale, etc., of obscene objects to young person
Imprisonment for three years
Fine of two thousand rupees
For subsequent conviction imprisonment for seven years and also with five
thousand
7.2.3. All the pornography rules in India can be summed up as under: 32
Watching porn at home is not illegal.
Saving it on your personal laptop, smartphone, storage media is also not illegal.
Distribution/Sale/Showcasing/Publishing/Sending on private messages etc. is
illegal.
Sending porn videos/images/texts or anything depicting sexually explicit acts
(unless educational) to someone is also illegal.
Sex stories are also sexually explicit content.
Whether ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are causing transmission of such porn
into the country is a grey area but practically they will not be held responsible except for
child pornography.
Child Pornography, in any sense, watching, saving, sharing etc. is totally illegal.
8. Addition to Pornography:
One out of 6 women, including Christians, struggles with pornography addiction. They mostly
are involved more with chat rooms while men are involved with images and videos online. 80%
of women take their addiction offline through affairs, multiple sex partners, or casual sex. 33
8.1. Five-step Pattern
31
See, Ravi Kant, “Pornography and the Indian Law” March 11, 2015, The Cyber Blog India,
http://www.cyberblogindia.in/pornography-and-the-indian-law/ (accessed July 19, 2017).
32
This summary is taken from the writings of Nitish Chandan, “Pornography Rules in India,” January 23, 2017,
The Cyber Blog India, http://www.cyberblogindia.in/pornography-rules-india/ (accessed July 19, 2017).
33
“The Secret Sin of Pornography,” August 19, 2009, http://www.christianlandmark.com/tag/porn/ (accessed July
18, 2017).
6

8.1.1. Exposure: The first step in pornographic addiction is exposure or contact. Addicts have
been exposed to pornography in many ways, ranging from sexual abuse to looking at widely
available pornographic materials, magazines, videos or internet. 34
8.1.2. Obsession: The second step is obsession or fixation which is an outcome of one’s regular
exposure to pornography. Persons who are repeatedly exposed to pornography, “keep coming
back for more and more” in order to get new sexual towering. 35
8.1.3. Escalation: The third step is called escalation. With the passage of time, the addicted
person requires rougher, more explicit, more deviant sexual material to get their “highs”. 36
8.1.4. Desensitization: The fourth step is desensitization. Material that was once considered
shocking, taboo-breaking, illegal, and repulsive, will be seen as commonplace. No matter what
is being shown, the addict can legitimize it with an “everybody does it” kind of mentality. 37
8.1.5. Action: Fifth is acting out sexually. This not only includes having affairs or multiple
partners, but also includes voyeurism, exhibitionism, meeting another person (sometimes
children) for sex from chat rooms, and even rape. At this point, the person feels that there is no
way to change no matter how negative and severe the consequences are. 38
Some of the symptoms of a sex addict are: 39
8.2. Symptoms of Addiction:
8.2.1. Acting out sexually and the inability to stop the use of porn despite serious consequences
and repeated attempts of control.
8.2.2. Neglect or sacrifice of important social, family, occupational, or recreational activities.
8.2.3. Risk taking.
8.2.4. Living a double life.
8.2.5. Decrease in one’s spiritual or religious life.
9. Effects of Pornography
9.1. Effects: The effects of pornography can be generally classified under two but interrelated
categories: psychological and sociological. 40
9.1.1. Psychological Effect
From a psychological point of view, pornography is anti-conscience for it is inimical to the
psychological and moral developments of the human personality causing serious loss of
sensitivity to discriminative use of sex, sexual abuse and real violence. According to research
findings it is seen that a person’s memories of sexually arousing experiences get locked in the
34
Mahendra, Pornography, 62.
35
Mahendra, Pornography, 62.
36
“The Secret Sin of Pornography,” August 19, 2009, http://www.christianlandmark.com/tag/porn/ (accessed July
18, 2017).
37
Ibid.
38
Ibid.
39
As taken from “The Secret Sin of Pornography,” August 19, 2009, http://www.christianlandmark.com/tag/porn/
(accessed July 18, 2017).
40
The summary effects highlighted on this paper is taken from Mahendra, Pornography, 63-68. A detailed
discussion can be seen on these page references.
7

ain by chemical epinephrine. Exposure to pornography can lead to anti-social attitudes and
behavior; and continued exposure to pornography had serious adverse effects on beliefs about
sexuality in general and on attitudes towards women in particular. It was also found that
pornography leads men and women to experience conflict, suffering, and sexual dissatisfaction.
Men viewers tend to be more aggressive towards women.
9.1.2. Sociological Effect
Statistical studies found that rape rates are highest in states that have high sales of sex magazines
and lax enforcement of pornography laws. Family breakdown, tension and conflict in close
relationship, rapists and serial murderers are some of the harmful social consequences of
pornography addiction. Pornography leaves the impression that sex has no relationship to
privacy, that it is unrelated to love, commitment or marriage, that perverted forms of sexual
activity are the most gratifying, that sex with animals is desirable, and that there are no adverse
consequences. According to another research, sexually permissive behavior led to less cultural
energy, less creativity, less individualism, less mental development, and less cultural progress in
general. Spiritually speaking, pornography darkens our understanding and separates us from the
godly life.
To sum up the effects of pornography, we can say that watching pornography affects the whole
person – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. No one can be immune to its
corrupting effects.
10. Biblical and Theological Response to Pornography
10.1. A Biblical Response to Pornography
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament have strong resentments towards the issue of
sexual immorality and they condemn every form of pornographic perversion in relation to sexual
behavior.
10.1.1. The Old Testament 41
In the OT YaHWeH prescribed Israel’s worship, which was clearly not to be associated with
temple prostitution. In Deuteronomy 23:17 sacred prostitution is unequivocally denied a place in
Israel’s worship. Not only this, even the money earned through acts of prostitution would not be
accepted as payment for a vow to the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:18). While the women were
severely punished for promiscuity, it seems as though men were condoned for being lured by
lewd women (Genesis 38:12-26; Joshua 2). However, prostitution was shunned and this is why
the classical prophets referred to Israel’s apostasy as harlotry or prostitution (Hosea 1-3; Ezekiel
16; 23). Prostitution, in general, was punishable by death. 42
Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah condemned what is known as the Fertility Cult associated with
the Queen of Heaven, Child Sacrifices and the Festival of the Dead (See, Isaiah 56-57; Jeremiah
44). All these practices bear a lot of pornographic significance and are therefore vehemently
condemned. To be sure, in the religion of Israel, the criterion for deciding the sinfulness of all
sexual acts was whether they were in accordance with the holiness of God. To discourage the
41
The term “Old Testament” here after will be abbreviated as OT. Readers understanding is advised.
42
Mahendra, Pornography, 34.
8

proliferation of all immoral acts, the parties involved were to be stoned to death in order to
purge Israel of such evil and its memory. 43
The “uncovering” mentioned in Leviticus 18:6-23 44 is clearly a pornographic act and is strictly
forbidden. Apart from this, not only men with women, but men with men, women with women
and humans with animals are not supposed to engage in pornographic behavior or uncovering,
for it is sexual immorality and strictly forbidden. 45
10.1.2. The New Testament 46
It is said that the eye is the window of the soul. What we stare at definitely affects us spiritually
and can be cause us to sin. Even David saw the woman naked, before he got ideas to sin with her
(See, II Samuel 11:2-5). 47 This is why when we turn to the NT, Jesus warned us when He said,
““You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 48 But I say to
you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in
his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Apostle Paul also said, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a
man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body”
(I Corinthians 6:18).
I think our Lord (whoever looks…commit adultery) and Paul (flee sexual immorality) above are
both speaking about the dangers of practicing or watching pornography (if we employ modern
terms). Apostle Peter also clearly describe lovers of pornography (using his terms if you may!)
when he spoke of those who had “eyes full of adultery” (II Peter 2:14). As we can see, like the
OT, the NT is very strict in its teaching against watching pornography. Even the book of
Revelation speaks of “the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone, which is the second death” (emphasis added, Revelation 21:8).
10.2. A Theological Response to Pornography
10.2.1. Pornography and God
God has given the gift of sex to human beings for the special purpose of procreation (Malachi
2:15; Genesis 1:28). But because of sin in the world (Romans 3:23) sex has been misused and
abused (Romans 1:24-25). Likewise, pornography does not intend procreation; it is only
committed to exhibition, distortion, exploitation of sex and love for money. Pornography distorts
God’s gift of sex and mocks the first institution ordained by God (marriage between man and
woman) and then subverts the most sacred behavior on this side of heaven. Above all,
43
Ibid., 35.
44
“None of you shall approach anyone…to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord…You shall not uncover the
nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to
uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her
sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive. Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her
nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity. Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s
wife, to defile yourself with her. And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire of Molech, nor
shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an
abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an
animal to mate with it. It is perversion (NKJV).” Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotation will be taken
from the New King James Version.
45
Mahendra, Pornography, 36.
46
The term “New Testament” here after will be abbreviated as NT. Readers understanding is advised.
47
Mahendra, Pornography, 37.
48
Exodus 20:14; see also, Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 5:18).
9

pornography is anti-sex, anti-life and anti-God and utterly blasphemous because it stands for
everything that is exactly opposite to the divine purposes mentioned in the Bible. 49
10.2.3. Pornography and Salvation
For understanding pornography and salvation, we need to go back to the biblical teachings
concerning sexual behavior. Jesus taught that lust in the heart is adultery (Matthew 5:28). And
His apostles taught that those who die in the sin of adultery will not inherit the Kingdom of God
(I Corinthians 6:9,10; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8). One must repent of this adultery and
be pure in heart “to see God (in the face of Jesus Christ)” (emphasis mine, Matthew 5:8). “To
see God in the face of Jesus” means to reach up to God, to be with the Lord; this is a clear
indication of the result of salvation. Only those who are saved will have the privilege to see God
in the face of Jesus Christ (emphasis mine added). 50 It is also written, “For if you live according
to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”
(Romans 8:13).
The spiritual damage done by pornography is serious and greatly devastating. By no means does
pornography qualify according to what the Bible says we must think about, “whatever things is
true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8,
NIV). Pornography is not true, it is not noble, it is not right, it is not pure, it is not lovely, and it
is not admirable. It is addictive and destruction and leads to ever-increasing wickedness (See, 1
Corinthians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:19; Proverbs 6:25-28; Ezekiel 20:30; Ephesians 4:19; Romans 6:19).
Lusting after other people (whether real or imaginary) in our minds is sin and is offensive to
God. 51
11. Towards a Remedy to Pornographic Addiction
11.1. For Parents towards their Children: 52
1. Spend time with your child while they work on the internet. Ask them questions about what
they do online. Figure out how the instant messaging works. Know what e-mails they get and
from whom. Check history files often. Get the computer out of their rooms and into a place of
high traffic in your home like a living room or den.
2. Instruct your children about the dangers of the internet. Make sure that they never give out
personal information or pictures without your consent. Teach them to tell you whenever
something appears on the screen that makes them feel uncomfortable.
3. Use an internet filter. You can go to www.afa.net and click on the AFA Filter button. It is
inexpensive, there are no password overrides, and it is continually updated. Also, use spam
filters for e-mails which you can also get from AFA online. Roughly 40% of spam is
pornographic. Know what your child is getting in their e-mails and who it’s coming from.
11.2. Seven Breaking Steps for Adults in Porn Addiction 53
49
See a more detailed discussion in Mahendra, Pornography, 41-43.
50
Mahendra, Pornography, 44-45.
51
Ibid., 45.
52
“The Secret Sin of Pornography,” August 19, 2009, http://www.christianlandmark.com/tag/porn/ (accessed July
18, 2017).
53
These suggested seven steps for breaking porn addiction is taken and summarized from, Mahendra, Pornography,
76-80.
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Step 1: Realize the Problem: Realize the destructive consequences of pornography and grasp
the seriousness of your sin. Realize that you have a problem and that you need to deal with the
problem. Have the right view and value of sex and sexuality. Pornography is a sin. It has to be
confessed. Confess it, and God is willing to forgive you (1 John 1:9).
Step 2: Realize your Personal Identity: Look at yourself. You are a new creation in Christ, your
identity is for making impact not to enjoy dirt and filth. You are a man or woman created in the
image of God. A person who can make a difference in the society with positive influence. You
cannot be doing things which even the animals don’t do.
Step 3: Practice the Presence of God: Realize the presence of God in all places at all times.
Don’t do anything in private that you cannot do in public. Cultivate the fear of God in yourself.
Step 4: Be Careful and Conscious: Identify the opportunities, contexts and situations that
motivate or influence you to draw into pornography and be careful to avoid them consciously.
Avoid loneliness, be social, set a goal, find an ambition and keep yourself really busy. We have
always known, “An empty mind is the devil’s workshop.”
Step 5: Take Authority over Your Eyes: Do not look at anyone lustfully. Don not look back to
pornographic advertisements, pictures and posters. Train your mind to take impure thoughts
captive, and guard your heart with all diligence. Be resolved to do your utmost for what is good
and beneficial for all and to discard what is bad and filthy. Remember “the lamp of the body is
the eye. If therefore your eye is good (what it looked at or see is good), your whole body will be
full of light” (text and emphasis added, Matthew 6:22).
Step 6: Take Help from Others: If you feel you cannot do it alone, get help. Choose persons,
friends, fellowships and ministries that can help you to discard pornography and make a
difference. Have accountability partners (spouses and close friends will be the best at this) who
will check your life on a regular basis. Do not hesitate to share your problem to the individuals
and groups (pastors, friends or institutions) that are committed to help you to get rid of porn
addiction and achieve liberation.
Step 7: Follow the Principle of the Shift of Energy Focus: When tempted, do some physical
exercise or some hard work till your mind is off the thing. You may also practice what is called
bounce the ball. As soon as your eyes see any person or picture make sure that you do not gaze
upon, just bounce your eyes! Look at something else, something different, such as trees or
buildings! Spend quality times with God, read the Bible and pray regularly for victorious living.
12. Conclusion
From our paper, we can learn that the role of the Church in tackling the issue of pornography is
not seen at all. This is due to the fact that the present church is very silent to this issue. And
personally, I find myself quite frustrated when I learnt that even the well-known writer, John
Stott did not write anything about pornography in his popular book, “Issues Facing the Church.”
My question is, “is not the time now that the church stood up and raise her voice to fight this
‘global-virus’ 54 what I also called ‘Satan’s mechanism’ to distort the minds of people from
godliness?”
54
I personally find this term “global-virus” very fitting to describe pornography, because pornography with its
negative impact is indeed a global phenomenon.
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Lastly but not the least, we can clearly state that “pornography” is a sin which separates the
Christian from God. Thus, it must be removed from the obedient servant’s life. It is a big
stumbling block for a Christian to live a holy life in the eyes of God. With the advancement and
development of technology today, the addiction of pornography is also indeed a global issue
now. As a Christian, we are being challenged from this addiction. Simon Lajeunesse said, “Guys
who do not watch Porn do not exist.” Dear friends, are you willing to prove that this guy is
totally wrong from today onwards?
_____________________________________
Points for Discussion
Common Questions:
1. Do we think that it is time to speak about pornography in the church? If “yes,” give your
reasons. And if “no,” give your reasons for it. (Common Question)
2. From the paper, if you think that a quick response is needed by the Church on pornography.
Make some relevant suggestions for the role of the church in fighting this Satan’s mechanism.
Group Questions:
1. Make a response towards the Evidence Argument and the Social Benefit Argument in
defending the Biblical teachings on holiness of life.
2. Apart from the suggestions seen in the paper, suggests any practical means to free people
from porn addiction.
3. Suggests another point of arguments against pornography apart from the various arguments
seen in the paper.
4. Do we think that soft core pornography can also have a bad effect or impact on children and
adult? If “yes,” give your reasons. If “no,” give your reasons as well.
12